


Letter

by OdeToPedrazar (MyPrivateLaughter)



Series: Five Friends and Francis [19]
Category: Nothing Much to Do
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-19
Updated: 2015-01-19
Packaged: 2018-03-08 07:19:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 934
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3200390
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MyPrivateLaughter/pseuds/OdeToPedrazar
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><i>Liverpool</i><br/>The friends send postcards, some of a more personal nature than others.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Letter

“You can’t send her this,” Beatrice said, holding up Benedick’s postcard. They had just completed a postcard writing session and Beatrice, in the front seat, was entrusted with the whole gangs correspondence. She was ready to jump out at the nearest post box.

“Why ever not?” Benedick responded indignantly from the seat behind.

“Because it’s literally just various nouns separated by exclamation points. That’s not a postcard.”

“I didn’t know you were the postcard police!”

“Listen to this,” Beatrice snorted and began to read out the postcard in an offensively high-pitched voice. “ ‘Mum, Britain! Road trip! Cold! Cathedrals! Museums! Galleries! Scotland! Castles! Rain! Snow! Mostly rain! Ally! Sarah! Uncle Len. Mountains! Birds! Good mates! Good times! Poor nutrition! Pot Noodles! Hooked on a feeling! Love Ben xx _’_ ”

“Yeah,” Pedro agreed when they’d stopped laughing, “I got nothing from that.”

“Oh, come on!” Benedick waved his hands in the air. “That is all the necessary information required transmitted through one small piece of card. I am very proud of my postcard.”

“ _This_ is how a postcard should be written,” Beatrice declared, holding out another one from the pile and reading it aloud to the group. “ ‘To my marvellous mummys and brilliant brother, I am missing you so much! But having a really lovely time on our road trip. I have taken lots of photos to show you. Some highlights for me have been the hilarious tour guide at Edinburgh Castle and meeting some wonderful people. Can’t wait to tell you all about it, love from Hero xxxx’”

Benedick jokingly retched. “Egh! The most boring postcard I’ve ever heard in my life. Your poor family. What they have to suffer.”

Balthazar felt himself becoming increasingly uncomfortable. He hadn’t wanted to hand his postcard over to Beatrice in the first place. He really didn’t want her to read his out to the whole car. With his messy handwriting, Balthazar had fit about five sentences on it. And somehow he had accidentally managed to mention Pedro’s name twice.

It had just happened. And as soon as he had read it back he’d realised how much he sounded like a thirteen-year-old writing in their diary. But he’d only bought the one postcard and so he had just hoped his family wouldn’t notice…

Beatrice meanwhile had no idea that Balthazar’s eyes were fixed on her hands as they riffled through the small pile of correspondence. She also didn’t notice him tense up as she picked his out. She just read it to herself and inwardly noted that Balthazar was clearly in love with Pedro.

It read: ‘Hey Mum, Dad and Rosa, We’re having a great time though it rains constantly. Pedro said you’d appreciate this postcard Rosa. I got you some Beatles badges and stuff too. We’ve seen some cool places. We should go to Scotland together some time. I loved Skye. Pedro prefers the castles. It’s all pretty awesome! I miss my piano. See you soon, Balthazar xx’

Beatrice turned around and caught Balthazar’s eyes. Perhaps she noted the panic in his gaze because she just grinned and raised her eyebrows. He flushed and looked away.

Pedro would have been feeling a bit hot under the collar too if he hadn’t sealed his postcards into the privacy of an envelope. He had begun writing in far too much detail and then had ended up having to borrow some of Hero’s left over postcards and finally a few sheets from Balthazar’s notebook, hence the necessity of an envelope. And yes, several of the anecdotes had had a distinctive Balthazar flavour to them. To the point where Pedro had almost considered revealing his sexuality by the end of the postcard-come-letter.

Instead, he wrote ‘This trip has helped me sort a few things out too and I am looking forward to talking to you about said things when I get back. Not in an ‘I’m a changed man’ sort of way just that I’ve done some thinking. You know what, I’ll probably have told you already in person by the time you get this. Never mind. Miss you – yes, even you John! PEDRO OUT’

“AHAH!” Benedick yelled triumphantly. He had leant over the back of Beatrice’s chair and managed to grab her postcard to her parents.

“Hey! Give that back!”

“Let’s see how great your postcard is! ‘Dear Parents’. That’s a very formal start, don’t you think?”

Beatrice was looking less than impressed. “Hero, can you get my postcard back?”

“No, no! We all have to hear now what an amazing writer you are!” Benedick laughed, holding the postcard out of Hero’s reach. “ ‘Dear Parents, The trip has been going really well considering who I am stuck in a car with. And I don’t mean Hero. Or Pedro. Or Baltha-‘ Alright, very funny.”

Hero, Balthazar and Pedro were doing a bad job of withholding their laughter.

“Serves you right for reading my private correspondence,” Beatrice said, seizing her postcard and turning back to face the front.

“You started it!”

Beatrice laughed scathingly. “Oh, I ‘started it’, did I?”

“Could we just all agree not to read each other’s personal stuff without permission?” Hero suggested. “I feel like maybe that should be a new car rule.”

“Yeah,” Balthazar agreed, wholeheartedly.

Pedro nodded. “Definitely.”

“Benedick?” Hero said.

Benedick had been staring at the spot where Beatrice’s postcard had been snatched away, as if he could still read the words inscribed on the air. He jerked his head around. “What? Oh, yeah. Fine.” He turned and rested his elbow on the windowsill, gazing out at the passing A41. A peculiar silence fell amongst the friends.

**Author's Note:**

> A lot of these chapters have been set inside of Francis recently :S Sorry! I just couldn't think of a good reason why Bea would have all the post! The next ones don't though.   
> Not that inside Francis isn't the best place to be! (... that could sound inappropriate out of context...)   
> Hope you enjoyed this chapter! I had the idea but then was rushed in the execution. xx


End file.
